The Final Fantasy: Part I
by AznHaNa
Summary: Squall and his camaraderie gains recognition as the last sorceress war ends to a tumultous ending. However, one certain ebony-haired character and her knight are separated due to complicated circumstances. Is this the end for Rinoa and Squall?
1. Introduction

The Final Fantasy: Part I

**_After the last sorceress war ended, Squall Leonhart became a classic legend in, now the world-famous, Balamb Garden. Evil and darkness seemed to perish from the universe, leaving a residue of remaining malevolence, now weakened. Commander Leonhart_****_¡¯_****_s fellow comrades: Zell Dincht, Quistis Trepe, Selphie Tilmitt, and Irvine Kinneas, became accomplished and well-known leaders in their respective areas of study in the Garden. However, after the war ended, one member of the respected group disappeared from the limelight. Her name was Rinoa Heartilly, the commander_****_¡¯_****_s love of his life. Now, after two years, would everything have changed from what it had been before? _**

****

Chapter One: Trapped heart and soul

A tiny, dark-haired girl, roughly the age of nineteen, never lifted her eyes from the dinner table. Her hair was neatly combed into a French twist; wild and layered ebony bangs were bobby-pinned out of the way from her clear and taut face. She wore an ivory silk blouse and a plaid skirt, much to her dismay, with opaque ivory stockings and shined, black Mary-Janes. Her name was Rinoa Heartilly: rich, sophisticated, and devastatingly beautiful. She sat at the end of a long and narrow cherry-wood dinner table. Her father, General Caraway, sat at the other end. The dinner was perfectly executed with fine food, excellent service from the family¡¯s servants, and uninterrupted silence from the only two people in the large and ornate dining room. Rinoa hated it. Oh, how she loathed being back at her father¡¯s mansion in Deling City. But, did she have a choice? After she realized how cold she had been to her father, and how lonely he was without her, Rinoa made a decision to go back to Deling City instead of going back to Timber. What a decision! After she had stepped back into her original domain, Rinoa was forced to go back to high school to finish off the tuition she¡¯d missed out on from being a resistance leader. After, she was to go to a decent university in Esthar, where she would learn to be a skilled and prosperous electrical engineer. General Caraway had his daughter¡¯s whole life planned out accordingly to what he thought was best for her. In deciding his little girl¡¯s future, he panned out the unnecessary ¡°aspects¡± and ¡°activities.¡± For example, Caraway had the power to shut down any city or town with a wave of a hand. With this power, he forbid Rinoa to go ANYWHERE but to Deling City and Esthar. If she escaped, she¡¯d be promptly returned back to General Caraway. However, this wasn¡¯t the worst part. Lastly, Rinoa was never allowed to communicate with any of the people she had been in the Sorceress War with. None, whosoever, including her camaraderie in Timber, Watts and Zone. Caraway thought that these ¡°hooligans¡± had nothing better to do but to stir up ruckus, and they¡¯d plant ignorance and loud ideas into his fragile daughter¡¯s mind. Now, without any communication or independence, Rinoa was fated to live a life of normalcy. She truly regretted coming back to Deling. What a sorry mistake. 

Rinoa looked down into her soup bowl. Aside from the chopped up lentil, carrots, and potatoes, she saw her own reflection staring back at her. Her once vibrant and sparkling eyes were now dulled and droopy due to excessive hours of studying. Her once loose and shining ebony hair was now usually wrapped up into a bun or a twist or a horrible braid. Her sense of style was now diminished to wearing plaid skirts and plain blouses. Instead of her toting around her weapon, the deadly Shooting Star, she carried around heavy books on philosophy and physics. Oh, the utter shame. Rinoa Heartilly was no longer Rinoa Heartilly. She felt her spirit broken, defeated, confined. Her heart was torn to shreds, pieces too little to mend. 

Rinoa could have dealt with these tragic losses if she hadn¡¯t been forced to leave behind her true love, Squall Leonhart. Her intrinsic and introverted Lion she had learned to tame! Rinoa cried to sleep every night thinking of him, knowing that she couldn¡¯t hear his voice or touch his face ever again. Squall couldn¡¯t get a hold of her no matter how hard he tried. Caraway fooled many people into thinking that Rinoa was now with somebody else, someone more her ¡°league.¡± This undoubtedly crushed Squall. When he visited her house, he was immediately turned away. When he called, the line was cut and the number switched and unlisted. Squall couldn¡¯t understand this. He thought Caraway liked him. Well, Squall was wrong. He gave up eventually, thinking that Rinoa was engaged to a rich and powerful man, making him feel inadequate to win back her love. 

Rinoa sniffed a little and wiped away a small tear, thinking of Squall. Caraway noticed this right away. As he cut up his filet mignon, he cleared his throat to finally talk. ¡°Dear heart, what is the matter?¡± His deep voice cut through the silence like a hot knife through soft butter. Rinoa didn¡¯t look up but managed to answer. ¡°I-I just had a rough day in Calculus. The problems were pretty overwhelming¡¦I¡¯ll be fine, though, ¡° she lied. 

Caraway wiped his mouth with the linen napkin. ¡°Well, Rinoa, this means that you must study harder. Esthar University tolerates nothing of this sort. They expect you to master this course.¡± 

Rinoa clenched the hold of the spoon in her hand. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± 

Caraway smiled. ¡°By the way, I heard that you are getting straight A¡¯s this semester, once again! At this rate, you are going to definitely be Esthar-bound. And, darling, did you receive any acceptance letters yet?¡± 

Rinoa had to smile mischievously. She had received acceptance letters: From all four universities she applied to: Esthar Tech, University of Esthar, Deling University, and Deling Tech. Rinoa was extremely intelligent, and the colleges seemed to notice that, despite her lack of attendance during the past three years. But, she didn¡¯t want to become what her father intended her to be. It wasn¡¯t her. She didn¡¯t want it. Rinoa starved for adventure and excitement. She was headstrong and stubborn, qualities good for leadership. And, what a leader she turned out to be! The head of a small, but impacting resistance group, the Owls. The perfect occupation for Rinoa would be a military leader, a teacher, or a commander. She did not want to be tied down in research and study in electrical engineering. It was too boring for her. Every day, she added bits and pieces to the plan she conceived not long after she decided to stay at her father¡¯s house. She was going to break her father down once and for all. She **_was_ **going to get her freedom back. She just needed the right time to execute it. But, now wasn¡¯t the time. Rinoa had to still polish up her elaborate ideas. She needed to stall. 

¡°No, not yet, father. I wonder what¡¯s taking so long?¡±

Caraway scratched his whiskers. ¡°Humph, that is certainly odd. We sent those admission papers out long ago. We should be getting responses by now.¡±

Rinoa kept her cool. She smiled with ease. ¡°Oh, father, you know how those colleges are! Nowadays, they extra check to make sure that the candidates are fully able to survive in their environments. It¡¯s probably a minor delay. Don¡¯t worry too much, father, because I have a positive outlook on my applications. I¡¯m too good to pass up.¡±

General Caraway looked partially relieved. ¡°I trust my daughter on this fact. Alright. Let¡¯s wait an extra one or two weeks.¡±

¡®Score!¡¯ thought Rinoa. ¡®More time to seal the plan. I just hope he doesn¡¯t suspect¡¦¡¯ 


	2. Better to have loved and lost...

The Final Fantasy: Part I

****

**_There is no denying the fact that I miss her truly_****_¡¦_****_her wit, her charm, her insatiable thirst for adventure and action. I don_****_¡¯_****_t know why I do this to myself. She_****_¡¯_****_s with someone else now. God, I wish I could just see her again, to feel her warm breath upon my lips, to caress the soft peach glow of her perfect heart-shaped face. I guess this is really over between us. What happened?_**

****

A story by: Walking Contradiction 

A fanfiction of Squaresoft¡¯s ¡°Final Fantasy VIII¡± 

Chapter two: Better to have loved and lost¡¦

The tall and impish-looking 19-year old commander silently gazed out towards the vast and endless horizon, staring at the meshing warm colors of pink, purple, orange, and red: the beauty of nightfall. Every evening, after everyone else had cleaned up and went back to their dormitories, Squall Leonhart would always stay behind at the third story balcony. Sometimes, he¡¯d stay there until past midnight, just gazing at the twinkling stars and the shimmering moonlight cast upon the sea. He¡¯d been doing this ever since she disappeared, ¡°she¡± being his short-time love, Rinoa Heartilly. 

_¡°__Isn__¡¯__t it just gorgeous?__¡±__ she gasped softly, as she spotted another shooting star. Squall ran his fingers through his wild mane and blushed, not staring at the sky like his comrade was doing, but staring at something else__¡¦__her, of course. __¡°__Yes,__¡±__ he said, never letting his eyes leave from the beholding sight. __¡°__It__¡¯__s beautiful.__¡±__ Rinoa smiled, her angelic eyes twinkling with pure joy. __¡°__It__¡¯__s even better out here with you.__¡±__ Squall felt his heart catch in his throat. __¡°__R-really?__¡±__ Rinoa turned to face him and pointed up towards the infinite sky with her right index finger. __¡°__You saw it, right?__¡±__ Her lips curled into a little smile. Oh, how he loved her. Squall threw away all feelings of pride and fear. Shaking a little, he smiled back and stepped forward to wrap his arms around her small waist. Rinoa seemed to be taken aback by this sudden move, but she embraced it, putting her own arms around Squall__¡¯__s neck. His face inched nearer to hers, and she felt her eyes flutter shut, her insides swooning and bursting. Softly, Squall__¡¯__s lips brushed hers, and she felt her face flush. She sighed with content, and kissed back. While the others were celebrating the Seeds__¡¯__ victorious return from the ultimate battle with the sorceress from the future, Ultimecia, the two lovers stayed outside all night, watching the night stars twinkle, embracing themselves in a new-found love._

Squall sighed and threw a small pebble out to the ocean, letting the small rock skip three times across before sinking to a depressing fate. He just couldn¡¯t stop thinking about her. No matter how hard he tried to cast all memories of her aside, the feelings would just linger more frequently, driving him to his breaking point. 

¡°I just have to see her¡¦¡±

Squall couldn¡¯t stand it any longer. Fiance or no fiancé, Squall decided to go back to Deling City and demand to see her. He needed to hear her voice speak to him. So far, he hadn¡¯t talked to her at all during the past two years. If she was really going to get married, he needed her to tell him with her own voice, not from anyone else. If she truly loved the other guy, Squall decided to let her go. He hung his head defeatedly, his arms resting on the ivory surface. Yes, that¡¯s what he was going to do. 

Little did Squall know that a sleek, navy-haired vixen was spying on him from the corner of the large dining hall. Seeing Squall¡¯s head sink down with his shoulders hunched over the tepid waters confused her. Every night, she¡¯d creep out of her dorm to spy on this handsome commander. She had an eye on him for the longest time. She was entranced by his mysterious nature and sharp, good looks. The tall, dark, and handsome type was a major go for her. For years, she had admired him from a distance, Squall never knowing. This girl¡¯s name was Pavlova Lock. She was an 18-year old SeeD who specialized in civilian protection. She was popular among her peers for her striking, exotic beauty and cheeky personality. Pavlova could have dated any guy in the entire Garden. However, she found the guys at Balamb to be rather dull and boring. They often failed miserably in trying to court her, bringing her flowers, candy, the typical gifts to offer a girl. Squall Leonhart, however, was an exception. He was the only guy who never made a move on her and she was intrigued by him immediately. Always by himself, training his already toned and lean, muscular body late into the night every day, everyone labeled him as a ¡®lone wolf.¡¯ Pavlova tried talking to him once and it nearly ended in disaster. She began to flirt with him, just as she did to other guys. Tossing him a ¡®look,¡¯ fluttering her dark eyelashes, and making ¡°goo-goo¡± eyes at him, the only response she¡¯d receive from him would be an empty stare¡¦then, he¡¯d walk off. Pavlova felt genuinely confused and angry. No guy could resist her! What was wrong with this boy? Ever since then, she became obsessed with him, desperately trying to win his heart, but to no avail. Some time ago, Pavlova heard some gossip from some local students that Squall was actually dating! Back then, he was off to fight the sorceress from the future who wanted to take over the universe. He was never really around the Garden that much. Pavlova waited patiently, counting down the days when he¡¯d finally return. Then, she could start fresh, for by then, she had collected as much information she could about him. When Squall did return with his group, a bunch of dinky SeeDs that Pavlova personally detested, she constructed an elaborate plan to finally capture his heart once and for all. She decided that the Seed victory return party would be the best time. When everyone else would leave, she¡¯d present herself to him as a fresh new person. Her timing would be impeccable! Well, she was wrong. It turned out that Squall was the one who returned as a totally different person. His usual serious face was smiling, and his walk even had a cheery bounce to it. What had happened? Then, Pavlova saw **her**, the girl who stood next to Squall the entire night during the party. Pavlova eyed her jealously. Humph! This girl couldn¡¯t even compare with her! Her short dark, jet-black hair was coarse-looking, whereas Pavlova¡¯s long, shiny navy ¡®do was as soft as silk. The girl¡¯s face was too round; Pavlova¡¯s was a perfect oval. Her height was rather average, whereas Pavlova stood at a sleek 5¡¯6¡±. What could he possibly see in her! Pavlova spied on them the entire night, seeing them converse and crack jokes with their group. Ugh, the gross and mentally-challenged Zell Dincht, the putrid, selfish, and conceited former instructor, Quistis Trepe, the dinky and clownish ditz, Selphie Tilmitt, and some weird long-haired cowboy guy who looked like a woman that Pavlova had never seen before. The whole evening was detestable, according to Pavlova. She kept her wary eye on Squall and his mystery girl, though. They didn¡¯t really do anything, however. They weren¡¯t holding hands, no kissing, nothing! Pavlova smirked to herself. She let the evening pass on, finally enjoying herself when a cute guy from Trabia Garden introduced himself to her. Of course, she¡¯d lead him on to thinking that he actually had a chance with her. When she was done breaking the poor guy¡¯s fragile heart, Pavlova realized that she let her guard down. Squall and the mystery girl was nowhere to be found. She walked around frantically, searching for the familiar faces. Suddenly, she heard a loud screech coming from the opposite side of the room. Pavlova looked to see Selphie Tilmitt pointing excitedly towards the balcony to the Cowboy guy, who was holding up a camcorder on his shoulder. Now, what was she acting so frenzied over? Pavlova became slightly interested and made herself over to the area. She casually leaned against the marble frame way of the balcony, pretending to enjoy the party, but really looking out from the corner of her eye to see what all the hubbub was about. Pavlova gasped. She couldn¡¯t believe her eyes. Squall had his arms around the mystery girl with a content look on his face.

¡®He wouldn¡¯t even¡¦no!¡¯ Squall¡¯s face inched nearer to the girl¡¯s and, then¡¦.he closed his eyes and bent his head to kiss her! On the lips! Pavlova pulled away from the disgusting image and put both hands over her rapidly beating heart. She felt fresh tears stinging her eyes. ¡®How could that _bitch _steal him away from me like that! Nobody can do that! NOBODY!¡¯ Pavlova ran out of the hall and steadied herself against the entryway. 

Tears flowed freely from her eyes. ¡®He can¡¯t do this to me. He belongs to me! ME! He¡¯s just confused with that beady-eyed wench! She¡¯s definitely the one leading him on! Well, this isn¡¯t over. He will be mine¡¦¡¯ With that last thought lingering in her mind, she stormed off to the dormitory to isolate herself with her anger. 

That was the last time Pavlova had seen the girl around him. Not long afterwards, Squall¡¯s new cheerful attitude had disappeared completely, leaving him looking more forlorn than before. He became quieter and more reserved. Even his friends couldn¡¯t cheer him up. That¡¯s when Pavlova came to the realization that the girl was out of the picture. From the way Squall acted and looked, the girl must have dumped him, rather than the otherwise. 

¡®She really _is_ a supreme bitch. Oh well, she doesn¡¯t deserve him anyway¡¦¡¯ 

Pavlova found out that Squall took daily trips down to the great hall where balls and feasts were held. It was also the place where the SeeD inauguration party was held, and also the last victory party. He¡¯d stray over to the balcony where he¡¯d stand still and watch the sun go down and stars come out. Squall would stay long hours after midnight, until he¡¯d see the first flicker of daylight. Pavlova almost felt his pain. 

¡®How dare she leave him like this! Oh, she¡¯ll pay, she will. She will realize what she lost when she sees me in his arms one of these days!¡¯ 

Pavlova took one last look at her love and snuck back down to the dorms. She yawned, but felt wide-awake. She had a plan for Squall, and this time, she was one-hundred percent sure that it would work. She almost skipped happily back to her room. 

¡®Oh, Squall, you¡¯ll see how much better I am than she will ever be. You and I are going to be a perfect match, you¡¯ll see.¡¯ 

***To be continued***


	3. According to Plan...

The Final Fantasy: Part I

**_¡°_****_You_****_¡¯_****_re still my number One_****_¡±_********_–_****_ BoA, Korean pop singer_**

By: Walking Contradiction a.k.a AznHaNa

A fanfiction of Squaresoft¡¯s ¡°Final Fantasy VIII¡±

Chapter Three: According to Plan¡¦

She couldn¡¯t hold out any longer; there was no more time to waste. Rinoa had to carry out her plan NOW. General Caraway was now getting suspicious of the missing acceptance letters, and he declared to take action on the matter. Rinoa tried to act casual, suggesting that the universities¡¯ mail took a substantial time to sort out. 

¡°It takes a while,¡± Rinoa insisted, flipping back her hair, exasperatedly. 

Caraway shook his head. ¡°Not this long. Something must have went wrong. I think I¡¯ll go and contact the schools right away.¡± He stood up to walk towards his office.

Rinoa hurriedly ran over and stood in front of him. ¡°No! Oh, well, I mean¡¦that is¡¦¡± Without thinking, she threw her arms around her father and squeezed with all her might. ¡°I love you, father!¡± She blushed madly. She had to resort to this.

General Caraway raised an eyebrow and tried to free her grip of him. ¡°Uh¡¦I love you too, Rinoa. Now, can you please let me go?¡±

Rinoa burst out crying, hot tears spilling down her cheeks. She flushed the mixed feelings of frustration and agitation out of her system. ¡®This better work,¡¯ she prayed to herself. 

¡°Father! I am such a horrible daughter! I just realized how much pain I¡¯ve caused you during the past few years!¡± Rinoa covered up her face with one hand, dramatically; the other hand over her heart. She almost gagged at how corny her little demonstration was. 

¡°I do not deserve to be your daughter! If I don¡¯t get into these schools, then I¡¯ll be failing you once more! Oh, the utter shame! The embarrassment!¡± Rinoa put up such a passionate show that even General Caraway was shocked. He rushed over to his hysterical daughter and threw his arms around her. 

¡°Oh, my poor little lamb! There, there! Don¡¯t cry, my sweet dumpling. It¡¯s alright!¡±

Rinoa forced herself to cry harder, loud hiccups coming from her throat. Caraway began to have second thoughts about calling the schools at this moment. It was much too tender of a time. If she was acting this way now, imagine how she would react when she, heaven forbid, _didn__¡¯__t_ get into the schools. General Caraway had seen and heard news about teenagers being suicidal and taking drugs because they were unhappy and depressed. What if this little episode of hers grew into a greater dilemma? His pulse quickened at the thought.

¡®This cannot happen! I¡¯ll never allow it!¡¯ he thought, panicked. Worries of Rinoa getting into college suddenly switched to worries of Rinoa hanging herself. 

¡°Rinoa, angel! What do you say we take a little trip down to Balamb to go fishing with your old dad! You used to love fishing when you were young. What do you say?¡± 

Rinoa still had her face covered, but grinned, knowing that her plan worked. 

¡°I-I-I don¡¯t know, father,¡± she stuttered, softly. ¡°¡¦if that¡¯s alright with you.¡±

¡°Of course it¡¯s alright!¡± Caraway said, a little too joyously. ¡°It¡¯s such a pleasant day to go fishing! Just let me go get my rods and bait, and we¡¯ll head off this very instant!¡±

Rinoa almost leaped. ¡®He¡¯s doing all my dirty work for me! Now, I¡¯ll just have to sneak away from him when he least expects it. Then, I¡¯ll cleverly disguise myself to get into Balamb Garden. I¡¯ll get to see Squall again!¡¯ Her heart jumped with a sudden burst of happiness and she screamed with joy on the inside. On the outside, however, Rinoa still had puffy, reddened eyes and tears drying on her cheeks, looking absolutely pitiful. 

¡°Just let me see my schedule, hon, okay? You stay here and order Gretel to cook up something for you. Cookies, perhaps? I¡¯ll be right back.¡± The general hurried himself out of the room. 

Rinoa began to laugh, in spite of herself. In a few hours, she would have her freedom. Her dark eyes glistened at the streaming river of thoughts in her mind. She imagined revealing herself to Squall, and he¡¯d be genuinely surprised. She¡¯d have to hide out in his dorm, but that was okay. More time to spend with him, anyway. Rinoa smiled. She wondered how much he changed during the two years time apart from each other. Then, she wondered how her other friends were doing: Quistis, Selphie, Irvine, Zell, Zone, and Watts. She longed to see them. As good thoughts still ran through her head, Rinoa didn¡¯t realize her crestfallen father enter the room again. 

¡°Rinoa?¡±

She jumped a little, her river of thoughts suddenly dammed. She put on her pitiful look again. ¡°Yes, father?¡± 

The General shook his head. ¡°Bad news, I¡¯m afraid, dear. I need to be at Dollet today to hold a meeting with some of Galbadia¡¯s representatives. There is no way I can miss this, darling, it¡¯s too significant of a gathering. I¡¯m truly sorry.¡± 

Rinoa¡¯s face fell. ¡°W-well, how about tomorrow, then?¡± 

Her father shook his head once more. ¡°The meeting is going to last more than a week, I¡¯m afraid. We¡¯ll have to reschedule our jovial vacation to a different time.¡±

Rinoa wanted to throw something. ¡°More than a week?¡±

¡°Maybe even a month,¡± the general sighed. ¡°Are you disappointed, dear?¡±

¡®No, dad, I¡¯m really ecstatic about hearing this!¡¯ Rinoa wanted to say. But, she simply said, ¡°Of course not.¡± 

Caraway smiled and pulled out his black, leather-bound organizer. ¡°To ensure that we are going to do this,¡± he said, filling in a page with a ball-point pen, ¡°I¡¯m taking a day off three weeks from now, on March, the third. He shut his organizer. ¡°Mark that day, sweetheart, because that¡¯s when we¡¯ll be heading off.¡± 

Rinoa cringed, but managed to smile. ¡°Okay¡¦sure.¡± 

There was no way she could escape now! Rinoa had tried it before. Her house was like a prison. Deling¡¯s best guards and police had her house surrounded at all hours. That¡¯s how important her father was. Security cameras and lasers surrounded the area thoroughly, inside and out. Rinoa was trapped. She had to wait three weeks before seeing her Squall again. Some plan! 

Rinoa sniffed a little, real tears now pouring from her eyes. ¡°Squall¡¦I¡¯ll be there soon. I just hope you didn¡¯t listen to the rumors about me¡¦¡± She curled herself into a little ball on the expensive couch in the dining room, and softly began to cry. 

**** **** **** Back at Balamb **** **** **** 

Now that the Garden was mobile, missions were easier to accomplish. With several ships and the ragnarok in tow, Balamb became the number one Garden. It was not long ago that Galbadia was the number one military academy, but they were marked with a bad reputation for ¡°hush-hush¡± matters nobody spoke of. Nowadays, speculations pointed out that Galbadia had raised doomed dictators and troublesome sorceresses. The most recent tabloid was that the late President Deling graduated from the Galbadia Garden; and, almost everyone knew that Sorceress Ultimecia reigned there. It was truly an embarrassing and inauspicious time for Galbadia. They hid themselves from the spotlight ever since. 

19-year old Selphie Tilmitt clumsily ran out of the Balamb elevator, pushing several students out of her way. ¡°Watch it!¡± ¡°Hey!¡± ¡°Ow, that hurt!¡± were usually the daily phrases she first heard each morning. ¡°Ooh, I¡¯m really going to be late!¡± she wailed, the papers in her arms fluttering away, one by one, as she scorched through the hallway. Suddenly, she met resistance without realizing it, and she fell to the ground with an unceremonious ¡°Boom!¡± 

¡°Selphie?¡± 

¡°Owwiiieeee,¡± she cried, rubbing the sore spot on her forehead. She looked up and suddenly jumped. ¡°Ah, ah, Commander Leonhart! Hi!¡± 

Squall rolled his eyes. ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to be teaching a class¡¦.twenty minutes ago?¡± 

Selphie looked down at her watch. ¡°Oh, God!¡± Straightening out her wrinkled white blouse, she hurriedly zoomed off in the opposite direction. ¡°Sorry, Squall! Er¡¦I mean Commander Leonhart! It won¡¯t ever happen again—Augh!¡± There was a loud crashing sound heard from across the hallway. ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± she called. 

¡°Whatever,¡± Squall muttered under his breath. He knew it would happen again. This always happened every morning. He wondered if it really was a good idea assigning her to teach Basic Weaponry 101. He sighed, and walked on. Same thing every morning: He¡¯d go to his office, go over the events of the day, assign himself to a couple of missions, get banged up, bandaged, and go to sleep. It was really getting quite boring. The one thing that got him through the day were thoughts of Rinoa. Even though he knew she was engaged and probably didn¡¯t want to see him ever again, Squall still loved her. He¡¯d never have the same feelings for anybody else. Caught up in the bittersweet memories of his former girlfriend, he didn¡¯t realize that he bumped into something. Now, it was his turn to rub his forehead. That ¡°something¡± turned out to be a ¡°someone.¡± 

¡°Excuse me, oh! I¡¯m incredibly sorry,¡± a feminine voice gasped. 

Squall stopped rubbing his forehead and looked up. He almost gasped himself. Looking straight into his eyes was one of the most beautiful women he¡¯d ever seen. She was almost as tall as he was, with long, dark, midnight-blue hair that fell to her waist, large sapphire eyes framed with dark eyelashes, and ivory skin that was quite striking to her dark features. Her eyes twinkled into his own. 

¡°Hello, Commander Leonhart. I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t recognize me, and I¡¯m not surprised that you don¡¯t. My name¡¯s Pavlova Lock, and I¡¯m a third year SeeD. Pleased to meet you.¡± She held out her hand.

Squall didn¡¯t take it, but kept his steady gaze fixed on her. ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to be in class?¡± 

Pavlova smiled seductively. ¡°No, sir. I am excused from classes because I¡¯ve mastered them all when I was fifteen. But, I do need to assign myself missions for today.¡± 

Squall was used to being bombarded by girls, but this one seemed to be a bit more unusual than the others. He couldn¡¯t feel her aura around him, and it was fascinated him, even though it was sort of creepy.

¡°I see. Alright, Ms. Lock, come with me, and I¡¯ll assign you some missions. We have an opening in FH and Centra.¡± 

Pavlova nodded. ¡°I am truly honored by your presence, commander. I¡¯ll be happy with whatever you give me.¡± 

Squall kept feeling unusual around her. ¡®What is this feeling? What is wrong with me? I haven¡¯t felt this way ever since¡¦¡¯ His faced turned bright red. ¡®No, no! Rinoa is my soulmate. I can feel her aura all the way from wherever she is. I¡¯m sure she can feel mine, as well. But, then again¡¦¡¯ Squall sighed. ¡®She is taken.¡¯ 

Pavlova¡¯s attractive face turned to Squall as they walked through the hall together. ¡°I hope we get to know each other well,¡± she said, softly. 

Squall gulped. ¡°Uh¡¦yeah, uh-huh¡¦¡± 

Pavlova smiled at him sweetly before turning her face back in front. She had a wicked twinkle in her eyes. 

¡®Pretty soon, Ms. Mysterious, your Squall will be _my_ Squall¡¦.¡±

**To be continued****¡¦******

*Will Pavlova really get with Squall?


End file.
